Here's a pic of the John Deere model A I just picked up. I have to check the serial number to pin down the exact year of manufacture but I think it's a 1947 or '48. I do know that it has the big 321 cubic inch two cylinder which makes around 34 horsepower. Today that doesn't sound like much but back in the day this thing was a beast.

Sounds like you know your Deeres. I found this link (below) and something seemed odd to me. The late 321 cubic inch A motor had almost equaled the horsepower rating of the G's big 413 cubic inch engine. Did the smaller engine have a higher compression ratio or maybe a higher RPM rating? One of my buddies dad has an older unstyled A with a bad a$$ G motor dynoed at 80 horsepower. He pulled it for quite a few years but it's been collecting dust for quite a while now.http://www.antiquetr...ginehpchart.htm

common now everyone in hilmar has a bad to the bone deere. you are in the middle of pullin country in hilmarthere is a pull in los banos oct 26 come out, look at vtpa web site

I'll do that. I have an uncle and some cousins from Elnido that pull Farmalls. Ben, Marty, and Shane. I'm sure they'll be there. I'm gonna wait until I get my tractor looking nice before I embarrass myself in public. If I'm gonna lose to a Farmall I at least want my JD to look good doing it.

Cool. There are few A's around here, as most of this area wasn't settled until the late 1940's, but there are a lot of 60's, 620's etc. They seemed to be very popular. Guy I work with still uses a whole fleet of 60's to pull hay balers with, everyday, all summer long. Really pretty neat machines, and built to last. Somewhere I have a picture my wife took of the fleet of Johnny Poppers and balers lined up in a field after they finished baling one morning, she even won a Farm Bureau photo contest with it, I'll see if I can find it.While I kind of enjoy running one for an hour or two in the early morning baling hay... once and a while... I can't imagine spending all day on one. No wonder all the old timers are deaf! Hard to imagine when those were a 'big' machine.